Attorney Frank Hogue (left) speaks with his client, Pamela Moss (far right), during last week’s pretrial motions hearing in Jones County Superior Court. Moss is facing murder charges in the March death of William Douglas Coker of Henry County, whose body was found under the back porch of the home she was renting in River North.

Pretrial motions were heard in Jones County Superior Court last week in preparation for a trial that has now been continued until May.

The trial of Pamela Frye Moss for the murder of Henry County businessman William Douglas Coker was set to begin Jan. 7, with Superior Court Judge Trent Brown on the bench. A conflict with the Wilkinson County murder trial of Zachary Allen Beck, which was delayed and reset to January due to the illness of the defense attorney, created the necessity for changing the date for the Moss trial or finding a different judge.

Wilkinson County is part of the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit as is Jones County, which means they share judges and prosecutors. Both Brown and District Attorney Fred Bright, who is prosecuting the Moss trial himself, are involved in the Wilkinson County trial. Bright said because the jury was already selected, he felt the Beck trial should take precedent. He added that the state is ready in the Moss trial and Assistant District Attorney Keagan Waystack is prepared to go forward with the case.

When the date was discussed by the court at the Dec. 19 hearings, however, there was little doubt it was going to be changed because Moss’ attorney Fred Hogue also wanted a continuance.

After a lengthy discussion about alternate dates, the Moss trial was reset to begin May 28, the Tuesday following Memorial Day. The trial is expected to take at least a week.